The lieutenant governor casts tie-breaking votes in the Senate in some cases, and Mr. Paterson, a Democrat, hoped that the appointment would help break legislative gridlock.
The new law's passage was made possible in part by good government victories--i.e., voter approved changes in legislative and election rules that finally broke legislative gridlock.
He has steered legislation, played a role in making and breaking legislators and legislative leaders, and made a show of being close to Governor Christie, a Republican, at a time when other Democrats would like to undercut the governor.
But at a White House rally today aimed at breaking the legislative logjam on gun legislation, Mr. Clinton shrugged off the personal attacks.
It is long past time for President Bush himself to get engaged in breaking this legislative impasse.
In its statement, which comes as the NSA gears up for a make-or-break legislative battle over the scope of its surveillance powers, the agency pointed to "privacy protections" which it says it keeps on all Americans' phone records.
Whilst countries such as Italy and Australia have recently enacted robust regulations, there is still room for a convincing ground-breaking legislative initiative, as Marco Civil da Internet was for the digital environment in 2014.
The new Congress must work to break the legislative impasse.
Technically, however, the vote tonight could break the legislative stalemate if parliamentary authorities agree to quash opposition in the House of Lords.
But there are signs that he will get something with more immediate political impact: a bipartisan deal in the Senate that could break the legislative logjam.
Capitalizing on the public attention following the incident, Mr. Clinton called lawmakers to the White House to urge them to break the legislative logjam.
